Apparatus for festooning curtains



April 27, 1954 E. J. vALLr-:N 2,676,654

APPARATUS kF'OR FESTOONING CURTAINS Filed March 13. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 RT mm.....=

T (Ur 'n i L Q lq N N8 i W\\NN J I b J l U6 QJ/ ,q In JNVENTOR. l 5434 J MILLE/V f BY ATTORNEY April 27, 1954 E. J. VALLEN APPARATUS FOR FEsTooNING CURTAINS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13. 1950 INVENTOR. EARL J MLM-N ffl' llwlflrlllfllfffffllll April 27, 1954 E. J. VALLEN 2,676,654

' APPARATUS FOR FESTOONING CURTAINS v Filed March 15, 1950 A 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 JNVENTOR. 421. J MIME/v BY wh f/M .4 TTOPNEY April 27, 1954 E. J. VALLEN 2,676,654

APPARATUS FoR FEsTooNING CURTAINS Filed March 13, 195o 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 54m. J, Kauf/v Patented Apr. 27, Y 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT oFFici:

11 Claims.

This invention relates to theater curtains. More particularly it relates to festooning a theater curtain by raising it at several separated points. Festooning patterns may be obtained by raising all of the several points to equal elevations above the stage or by raising certain points to higher elevations than other points.

The preferred. apparatus includes one or more flexible members, preferably in the form of tapes of heavy duck webbing material, which are fastened at separated points on or near the bottom edge of the curtain. These tapes extend up the back of the curtain and are connected to festooning wheels which are usually mounted near the top of the curtain. A single drive unit, adapted for reversible operation is provided to rotate all of the festooning wheels simultaneously. The wheels are rotated in one direction to reel up the tapes and thereby raise the curtain. To lower the curtain the drive unit rotates the wheels in the reverse direction so that the tapes are unreeled from the festooning wheels.

The festooning wheels are of special design and are an important feature of the invention. Different festoon patterns may be obtained by lengthening or shortening the respective tapes and this is done by an adjustment of the festooning wheels. For the usual patterns one or more of the tapes will be adjusted on its festooning wheel so that when the curtain is in its lowered position the tape will be longer than the actual distance from the festooning wheel to the point on the curtain to which the tape is fastened.

Usually this excess length or slack portion of a tape will drape down the back of the curtain in a loop. To raise the curtain all of this slack length will first be reeled onto the festooning wheel before the tape produces any lifting eifect on the curtain.

For the purpose of this application the term slack length will refer to the length of a tape which must be first reeled onto'a festooning wheel before the tape becomes taut and is capable of raising its portion of the curtain. The amount of slack length required to obtain various festoon patterns will be more fully explained in the section of this specification describing the details of the festooning wheels.

The preferred counterweight mechanism is operated by the drive unit during the same period that the festooning wheels are rotated. It in cludes a cone-shaped spindle from which the counterweight is suspended by a flexible member such as a cable. The drive unit rotates the spindle to unwrap the cable and lower the counterweight as the curtain is raised. Conversely, the drive unit rotates the spindle to wrap the cable thereon and raise the counterweight when the curtain is being lowered. In the preferred apparatus a limit switch is provided which stops the drive unit when the counterweight reaches either its lowest or highest position.

It would not be practical to design the counterweight mechanism so that the weight counterbalances the curtain at all times during the raising or lowering operation because each time the f estoon pattern is changed, there will usually be a diierent weight of the curtain raised. EX- cept for some very unusual patterns, the counterweight will only counter-balance the weight of the curtain being raised when the counterweight is suspended from a particular point on the spindle. When the curtain is fully raised in one of the usual patterns, its Weight will exert a greater turning moment on the festooning wheel drive shaft than the moment exerted by the counterweight on this shaft. When the curtain is in its lowered position the counterweight will exert the greater moment on the drive shaft. As the curtain iirst begins to move upward and the counterweight begins to move downward (or viceversa if the curtain is to be lowered) the respective moments exerted by the curtain and counterweight will approach each other until they are equal and the counterweight exactly balances the weight of the curtain. Thereafter, beyond the balance point, either the moment of the curtain or the moment of the counterweight will become the greater depending on whether the curtain is being raised or lowered. The apparatus operates so that regardless of the weight of the curtain raised, the counterweight reaches its lowest point at exactly the same time that the curtain reaches its raised position. These movements are more fully explained in connection with the operation of the apparatus.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a View in elevation of the rear of the curtain raised in a festoon pattern;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the relative positions of the two left-hand tapes of Fig. 1 when the curtain is in its lowered position;

Fig. 3 is a detail View of a festooning wheel taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of a festooning wheel taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the counterweight mechanism taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. l with a portion broken away;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the counterweight mechanism;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged View of the counterweight mechanism taken on line 1 of Fig. 3 and in'- cludes in detail the preferred limit switch mechanism;

Figs. 8 and 9 are schematic views of the preferred limit switch mechanism which show its manner of operation; and

Fig. 10 is a view of the limit switch mechanism taken on the line iii-Hi of Fig. '7.

The arrangement of the apparatus In Figure l the curtain i is suspended from its upper edge 2 which is fastened just above the inside edge of the proscenium 3. Usually the curtain will be gathered along its top edge so that it hangs in large vertical pleats. fn Fig. 1 it is shown with its bottom edge t raised above the stage S and supported at the points 3a, 8b, 8c, and 8d, respectively, by the flexible tapes sa, 9b, 9c, and 9d which are fastened at these points. The tapes are preferably narrow, strips of heavy duck webbing materials. rThey extend upwardly along the back of the curtain and the upper end of each is fastened to a festooning wheel I near the top of the curtain.

Each of the festocning wheels lil is fastened at the left end i l of a shaft i2 except the wheel IG at the extreme right which is mounted on a short shaft I3. The mounting shaft l2 and the shorter shaft I3 are disposed end to end and each is supported on a bearing l in the outer end of a bracket l which is fastened to the wall il above the curtain. (See Figs. 3 and ll.) The right end il of each shaft l2 is fitted with a coupling la which connects the end of the shaft to the side of the adjacent festooning wheel. The face i9 of the coupling which abuts the side of the festooning wheel is provided with the holes 2@ through which extend the dowel pins 22 which project from the left side of each festooning wheel. These pins rit loosely into the holes to make a exible connection between the end of the shaft and festooning wheel. If any of the shafts should be either installed in a misaligned condition or later become misaligned for any reason, this flexible connection isolates the resulting irregular motion of the misaligned shaft and the irregular motion or wobble is not transmitted to other shafts.

The drive unit 24 in Fig. l is mounted on the stage at the side of the curtain and it includes an electric motor 25 designed for reversible operation and a speed reduction unit 25 engaged with the motor. The motor may be energized through suitable leads 2 to rotate the reduction unit which, in turn, drives a sprocket chain 28. This chain extends upwardly from the reduction unit to a sprocket 3G on a shaft 3| which is coupled by a coupling E3 to the festooning wheel for tape 9a. The left end 32 (Fig. 6) of shaft 3| is supported on a bearing 33 in one of the members of the supporting frame work 34 of the counterweight mechanism 35 which is shown at the extreme left side of Fig. 1. (The limit switch mechanism is omitted from Fig. 1 for clarity.)

As the shaft 3l is rotated by the drive unit, it rotates all of the festooning wheels simultaneously. When the wheels are rotated in one direction, the tapes are reeled onto them, thereby raising the bottom of the curtain. The curtain is lowered by operating the drive unit to rotate the wheels in the reverse direction so that the tapes 4 are unreeled. Shaft 3| operates the counterweight mechanism 35 as it rotates the festooning wheels. As will be'more fully explained here after, the weight 38 of this mechanism descends toward the position B shown in Fig. l when the wheels are rotated to raise the bottom of the curtain and, conversely, it ascends toward the dotted position A when the curtain is lowered.

rhe preferred reduction unit 2-5 is of the type employing a worm gear which is driven from a worm connected with the armature of the motor. The drive unit preferably also includes a solenoid brake adapted to lock the armature and prevent rotation of it when the drive unit is not in operation. These specic structures are not illustre-.ted in detail since they are well known to those familiar withthis art.

To enable the tapes to bunch the curtain into a series of folds as successive portions of its bottom are raised, a number of small wire loops it are fastened to the back of the curtain. The loops surround the tapes loosely so that the tapes may slide freely through them as the curtain is raised and lowered. Small wooden blocks il are provided between each two loops It. These clocks are not fastened to the curtain but merely surround the tapes. The use of loops and blocks of this nature is known to the art.

The apparatus need not be installed immediately above the prosceniuin as in Fig. l. The curtain may be a back drop or other scenic equipment and the apparatus may be installed at a suitable location to festoon it. At some installations it may be necessary to mount the counterweight mechanism somewhat apart from the remainder of the apparatus. Various modifications of the preferred arrangement may be made.

The coaafcrwez'ght mechanism The counterweight mechanism 35 (see Fig. l) is supported by the frame work lill which is mounted on a wall surface l'i near the top of the curtain. The spindle B5 of the mechanism has a cone-shaped surface of revolution and is mounted between the parallel, horizontal rails L35 of the framework on the shaft il which is supported on the bearings 4S in the side rails. Weight 38 is suspended below the spindle 45 by a cable llt which is fastened to the spindle near its base. Shaft it? extends through the supporting rail i6 on the side of the frame near the curtain and a sprocket 5l is fastened to the outer end of the shaft. The spindle is adapted to be rotated by a sprocket chain 52 which is engaged with sprocket 5i and extends around another sprocket 512 which is fastened to drive shaft 3 I.

The spindles surface is provided with a continuous groove 5S which spirals with a relatively small pitch from the vertex 5l of the spindle to its base. When the curtain is in its lowered position cable i9 is wound around the surface of the spindle'in this groove so that the weight is suspended close to the vertex of the spindle. This is the uppermost position of the weight 38 and it is indicated at A. in Fig. l. As the drive unit 2li rotates shaft 3! to rotate the festooning wheels to reel up the tapes and raise the curtain, shaft 3l also rotates the spindle through the chain 52 so that the cable 49 unwinds from the groove and the weight 38 descends toward its lowest position B. Conversely, as the curtain is lowered, the spindle rotates to rewind the cable in the groove and the weight ascends to position A.

It is desirable to minimize the distance the counterweight 38 must travel as the curtain is raised or lowered. Therefore the ratio of the size of sprocket 5| to sprocket 54 is such that the spindle rotates at a slower speed than the shaft 3|. As a result, a shorter length of cable 49 is wound and unwound during the operation than if the spindle were driven at a speed equal to or faster than the speed of the drive shaft 3|. In the preferred apparatus the ratio of these sprockets is such that the weight 38 moves through a vertical distance equal to about half of the maximum distance to which it is possible to raise a point on the bottom of the curtain.

The weight 38 is preferably a hollow, metal can which is very light and may be shipped very conveniently. At an installation of the apparatus, dry sand or the like is added to it, the proper mass depending on the weight of that portion of the curtain which is to be lifted. The sides of the preferred can will be calibrated to indicate generally the amount of sand required for each type curtain.

The weight 38 slides up and down on the vertical guide cables 64, the lower ends 6| of which are fastened to the floor. The cables B4 extend through vertical tubular members 62 in the center of the can so that the weight slides freely on the cables. The upper ends'of the cables are fastened to turnbuckles 65 which can be tightened to tension the guide cables properly.

The turnbuckles 65 are fastened to a horizontal bar El (Fig. '7) above which is fastened a wheel 69 which is adapted to roll in a horizontal track member 19. The track member 'I9 is supported at each side from the frame and extends parallel to the shaft 41 below the spindle. The pull of the counterweight on the guide cables while the apparatus is in operation causes the wheel 59 to roll along the tracks l. This shifts the carrier bar 67 and the upper ends of the guide cables from side to side thereby moving the counterweight so that the supporting cable 49 pulls substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the spindle. A small guide pulley '|2 over which the cable 49 runs as it winds or unwinds is slidably mounted on a horizontal rod 14 each end of which is fastened to the frame members so that the rod is substantially parallel to the tapering surface of the spindle. This pulley serves to guide the cable 49 into or away from the groove 56 as the cable wraps or unwraps from the spindle.

The limit switch The drive unit for each installation will be set to rotate the festooning wheels for a particular time interval which will be determined for the particular installation by such factors as the maximum height it will ever be necessary to raise portions of the bottom of the curtain, the weight of 'the curtain to be raised, etc. Once this operating time is determined, and the apparatus set for it, there is no further need to adjust any portion of the counterweight mechanism. The same length of cable 49 will be wound and unwound from the counterweight at each operation regardless of the particular festoon pattern to which the festooning wheels have been adjusted and the weight 38 will move up and down on the guide cables 54 between fixed limits. To stop the drive unit automatically when the curtain is fully raised and when it is returned to its lowered position, the limit switch mechanism illustrated in Figs. '7-10 is provided. (This mechanism is omitted from Fig. 1 for clarity.)

The limit switch 'I9 is operated by the rotatable 6. timing wheel mounted on bar 8| to the upper end of which is fastened collar 82 which is slidable along a rod 83 fastened between the rail members 46 of the supporting framework parallel to the tapering surface of the spindle. Wheel 89 rolls in the portion of the spiral groove 56 immediately next to the cable 49 and slides the collar 82 along rod 93 thus shifting bar 8| either toward or away from the vertex depending on the direction in which the spindle is rotating.

The lower end of the bar loosely surrounds a rod 3l and is adapted to slide along it as the bar moves from side to side. Stops 99 and 9i are provided on the rod at each side of the lower end 85 and are fastened to the rod at the proper points when the travel for the counterweight has been determined at any installation. The end of the rod 81 is pivotally fastened at 93 to the end of a link 94 which is also pivotally fastened at a point 95 intermediate its ends to a member 95 which projects from o-ne of the frame members.

When the cable 49 is unwinding from the counterweight the -bar 8| moves away from the vertex in the direction of arrow X. After the lower end of bar 8| slides into contact with stop 9| it moves rod 5? in the same direction. As shown in Fig. 9, the pressure of bar 8| against stop 9| swings the upper portion of link 94 against the top of a flat bar 9?, forcing the top of bar 91 toward the limit switch i9. The bottom of bar 91 loosely surrounds a stud 98 and this stud serves as a pivot for the bar 97 when its upper end` is forced toward the switch '19. A clasp 99 is provided to hold bar 9T in a vertical plane. The clasp embraces the flat sides of link 94 and the link 94 is free to reciprocate within the clasp as link 94 is pivoted. As the top of bar 97 is swung toward switch i9 it presses on control button |99 of the switch which causes relays in the circuit supplying power to the motor to open and break the circuit to the motor which stops the drive unit.

Fig. 8 shows the movement of this linkage when the spindle rotates to wind the cable toward its vertex. This rotation moves bar 8| in the direction of arrow Y and eventually slides its lower end against stop 99 on rod 81. The pressure against the stop 99 swings the top of link 94 away from switch 19 and causes the bottom of link 94 to swing into contact with the lower portion of bar 97. This slides the lower portion of bar 9? along stud 9B and presses bar 91 against the control button |00 which stops the apparatus. Preferably switch 79 is a microswitch and automatically resets itself after it is operated.

The dimensions of the spindle and the size of the weight employed may be varied to suit any particular installation. A spindle having a greater or lesser vertex angle than the one illustrated may be used. The size of the weight and the dimensions of the spindle are determined by the turning moment the counterweight is required to produce on drive shaft 3i, as will later be more fully explained. A spindle proportioned substantially as shown in the drawings is advantageous for curtains ranging in weight from about 20G lbs. to 500 lbs. from a practical standpoint. The necessary size for the spindle and the weight required to produce desired movements for the curtain will be evident to a machine designer from the facts disclosed herein.

The preferred festoom'ng wheel structure and the movement of the tapes Details of the elements of a festooning wheel and the manner in which each is mounted is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The particular structure is designed so that the slack length of the tape (indicated by numeral |03 in Fig. 2) connected to it may be easily regulated from time to time to change the festoon pattern of vthe curtain. Each wheel is formed with an inner 'hub |65 having a cylindrical outer surface let. The hub is preferably of a light metal such as aluminum and the bore through the center of the hub is reinforced with a steel bushing Hi8 which receives a key |09 to lock the hub to the left end il of each shaft l2. Studs 22 which engage with the coupling IS on the right end of the adjacent shaft l2 are threaded into the side of the hub.

An annular ring the width of which is substantially equal to the width of the tapes, nts around the cylindrical surface lili of the hub. Annular plates 2 are fastened concentrically on each side of the ring il! by the screws lili. These plates are identical in size and shape. There is an opening through the center of each and their central portions H3 enclose the sides of hub |85. The outer portions H extend beyond the outer surface H5 of the ring to form a channel in which a tape is reeled. A portion of the outer surface H5 of the ring is recessed somewhat at llt and a wedge-shaped block lill fits into this portion so that its top surface is flush with the surface H5. rThe end of th-e tape is fastened to the ring by positioning it under the wedge and then fastening the wedge into the recess by tightening the flathead screw |29.

The ring |I| and the plates H2 are locked to the hub by a bolt |22 which extends through a pair of holes |23 in the plates and through a single hole |25 through the hub. In cach plate there are a number of holes |23 arranged in a circular pattern. The plates are fastened to the ring Il so that these holes are aligned in pairs. To change the slack length of a tape fastened to the wheel the locking bolt l2? is removed from the wheel so that the ring may be rotated on the cylindrical surface lll of the hub. The ring is then rotated around the hub to wind or unwind the tape as necessary to form the slack length required for a new festoon pattern. After the required length of tape has been wound or unwound, the ring is relocked to the hub by bringing the nearest pair of holes |23 into register with the single hole |24 and then reinserting the bolt |22. The various festoon patterns are obtained by manipulating each of the festooning wheels in this manner.

or the festoon pattern shown in the solid lines in Fig. l, the tapes ta and 9d near the sides of the curtain are adjusted so that these tapes have a greater slack length than the tapes 9h and 9C which support the middle portion of the curtain. When the curtain is kin its lowered position the slack length in tapes 9a and 9d drapes down the back of the curtain in a loop. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View of the curtain vwhen lowered and this view shows the loop ID3 in tape ila. Tape 9d is not shown but its slack length will drape downward in the exact manner as the slack length of tape 9a. For the parti-cular pattern shown there is no slack length in tapes to and 9c.

When the drive unit is energized the festooning wheels simultaneously reel up their respective tapes. Since tapes 9b and 9c have no slack length, they become taut immediately and begin to raise the points Sb and 8c, respectively, of the bottom edge of the curtain. The raising action of tapes Sa and 9d will be delayed, however, until the slack length |63 in each is nrst reeled onto its respective wheel it. After the slack length |03 has been taken up in the tapes 9a and 9d, they will be taut and begin to raise the points 8a and td, respectively, of the curtain. At the end of the operating interval for the drive unit the raising action of all of the tapes will cease so that the points ,8b and to which were raised rst will be at a higher elevation than the points 8a and 8d.

When the curtain is to be lowered from this particular pattern, the festooning wheels simultaneously unreel each of the tapes. Points @c and 8d will reach the stage rst but their festooning wheels will continue to rotate and un reel the slack lengths of their tapes which drape down the back of the curtain into the loops lill?. Points 8b and 8c will eventually reach the stage when their tapes have been unreeled and since there is no slack length in tapes 9b and te, this will occur very near the end of the operating interval for the drive unit.

To change the festoon pattern, for example, so that points tb and 8c are at the same elevation as points 3d and 8d, tapes 9h and 9c are readjusted while the curtain is raised in its existing pattern shown. The locking bolt |22 in the wheel for tape 9b is removed and the ring lil rotated on the hub it until point 3h is lowered to the same elevation as point 3a as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. l. The locking bolt is the-n reinserted to lock the ring `to the hub. The festooning wheel for tape Qc is then adjusted in the same manner. The effect of this adjustment would be to produce a slack length in tapes h and te equal to the slack lengthl in tapes 9d and @d so that when the curtain is lowered tapes tb and @c will have a loop H33 exactly like the loop |63 in tapes Qd and Qd. Loop it is indi-cated in dotted lines on tape 9b in Fig. 2.

The festoon pattern need not be symmetrical about the center portion and each of the tapes may be adjusted with different amounts of slack length. Any number of festooning wheels with tapes connected to the bottom of the curtain may be employed. The wheels need not be spaced at equal intervals. For some patterns some of the tapes may be adjusted to produce no lifting effect whatever. If it should vhappen that while the tapes are being unreeled, one of them should be completely unreeled from its festooning wheel before the end of the operating interval is reached,the end of the tape will then immediate ly start to rewind on the festooning wheel in the direction of the rotation of the wheel. Thus some of the slack length of a tape may be actually reeled onto its festooning wheel instead of hanging in a loop down the back of the curtain. Then when the wheels are rotated to raise the curtainv this slack length will first unreel until the end of the tape is reached and then it will begin to reel onto the wheel in the proper direction. When all of the slack is reeled onto the wheel the tape will begin to raise the curtain.

The operation of .theapparatus In discussing the operation `of the apparatus the direction of rotation of any element will mean the rotation .as viewed from the elements left side as it is shown in Fig. l.

When the curtain is raised in the position shown in Fig. 1, the weight of the curtain supported by the tapes tends to produce a counter- `clockwise turning ,moment on the shaft 3|. 0pposing this moment is the clockwise turning moment .on shaft 3| Aproduced by ,the pull of the 9 counterweight on the spindle. In this raised position the size of the respective elements is such that the moment produced by the curtains weight is greater than the opposing moment of the counterweight.

To hold the curtain in its raised position, it is necessary for the drive unit to resist the greater' moment of the curtain. Since the reduction unit includes a worm gear driven by a worm connected with the armature of the motor and a worm gear is not capable of driving a worm, the reduction unit holds shaft 3| stationary and retains the curtain in its raised position.

To lower the curtain the drive unit is operated to rotate shaft 3| in a counter-clockwise direction. The moment on shaft 3| produced by the weight of the curtain tends to rotate shaft 3l in the same direction. Since the moment produced by the curtain is greater than the opposing moment of the counterweight, the motor must perform the amount of work necessary to prevent the curtain from accelerating downward as it is lowered. The motor actually lowers the curtain until the counterweight and curtain balance each other.

The counter-clockwise moment of the curtain on shaft 3| progressively decreases as the tapes unreel because the weight of the curtain supported by the tapes steadily decreases. The counterweight, meanwhile, is being raised by the rotating spindle. 'I'he opposing, clockwise moment of the counterweight progressively decreases also since the cable 49 is being wrapped nearer and nearer the vertex of the spindle. When a sufficient weight of the curtain has been lowered the moment on shaft 3l produced by the curtain will just balance the opposing moment produced by the counterweight and there will be no load on the motor.

Immediately beyond the balance point the clockwise moment of the counterweight on shaft 3l becomes gradually greater than the counterclockwise moment of the curtain since the tapes now support much less of the curtains weight than previously. The motor will then supply turning moment to shaft 3l to raise the counter- 'weight to its final position A. In this position A the counterweight is suspended near the vertex so that the clockwise moment produced by the counterweight on shaft 3l is very small. There is no counter-clockwise moment produced by the curtain when it is in its lowered position since all of the weight of the curtain is supported from its upper edge and the tapes are not taut. Therefore the reduction unit will resist the small clockwise moment of the counterweight and hold shaft 3l stationary.

To raise the curtain the above events take place in the reverse order. When the drive unit is operated to rotate shaft 3| in a clockwise direction to raise the curtain, the motor is immediately loaded by the slight moment produced by the counterweight at the vertex of the spindle. The motor must resist the tendency for the counterweight to accelerate downward. The clockwise turning moment of the counterweight on shaft 3i progressively increases as the cable i9 moves away from the vertex of the spindle but the counter-clockwise turning moment of the curtain on shaft Si also progressively increases.

At a particular point the turning moment supplied by the counterweight will be equal to the turning moment produced by the curtain, and, immediately beyond this balance point the moment of the curtain on shaft 3l wiilbecorne greater. The motor will then supply to the shaft 3l turning moment just slightly in excess of the difference between the moment produ-ced by the counterweight and that produced by the curtain until the curtain is raised to its required position. The drive unit then holds the curtain in its upward position.

By changing the vertex angle of the spindle, the size of the weight, the speed of rotation of the spindle, etc., it is possible to vary the point at which the curtain will just balance the counterweight. For extremely heavy curtains such as those weighing from '700 to 900 pounds it may be desirable to use a spindle with a somewhat larger vertex angle. This is a matter of choice, however.

It is possible to arrange the slack lengths of the tapes to produce a pattern where only a very small amount of the curtains weight is raised above the stage. 'I'his will be an unusual situation, however. For such a pattern the weight of the curtain raised may be so small that it will not balance the counterweight. In any event, the increasing moment produced by the curtain on drive shaft 3l as the curtain is raised will at least approach the turning moment produced by the counterweight.

The apparatus occupies very little of the usually congested backstage spaces in a theater. The preferred festooning wheels and counterweight mechanism may be mounted in a space above the curtain approximately two feet high. Various changes may be made in the sizes of the respective elements of the apparatus to obtain desired movements for the curtain. Such modications of the apparatus may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. Apparatus for festooning a curtain which comprises a plurality of winding means, a. plurality of horizontal supporting shafts disposed -end-to-end, each for supporting one of the winding means, a flexible connection engaging one end of each shaft with the winding means on the next adjacent shaft, a plurality of flexible members, each winding means having one end of one of said flexible members fastened thereto, the other end of each flexible member being fastened to the bottom edge of a curtain with at least one of the flexible members having a greater slack length than at least one other flexible member, means on each of the winding means to Vary the slack length of its respective flexible member, a motor connected with one of said supporting shafts and adapted to rotate the winding means simultaneously in one direction to reel the flexible members thereon and thereby raise the portions of the curtain to which the respective flexible members are fastened, and also to rotate the winding means simultaneously in the reverse direction to unreel the flexible members and thereby lower the portions of the curtain, a coneshaped spindle with a counterweight suspended therefrom, means for rotating the spindle from the motor simultaneously with the rotation of the winding means, and limit switch mechanism controlling the upper and lower limits to which the counterweight may be moved.

2. In apparatus for festooning a curtain, a plurality of horizontally spaced winding means with flexible means attached to the respective winding means and to the bottom of the curtain, there being different lengths of the respective flexible .means between at least two of the respective winding means and the bottom of the curtain as the curtain is being raised, power means connected with the winding means for rotation in one direction to raise the curtain and for rotation in the reverse direction to lower the curtain, counterweight mechanism comprising a coneshaped spindle, a groove spiraliy encircling the spindle from the vertex to the base thereof, means supporting the spindle on a horizontal axis, means engaging the power means with the spindle for rotation of the spindle, a weight, and a liexible member supporting the weight with one end fastened to the spindle and adapted to be wound onto and unwound from the spindle in said spiral groove as the power means i's operated, switch means limiting the rotation of the power means in each direction thereby providing a fixed vertical distance through which the weight is adapted to travel independently of the distance through which the curtain is moved.

3. Apparatus for festooning a curtain which comprises a plurality of curtain-raising means each of which includes winding means, a. nexible connection between each two winding means, each winding means being adapted to be connected by flexible means with the bottom of a curtain to be festooned, a single power means adapted to rotate all of said winding means in one direction to raise portions of said curtain, and also adapted to rotate the winding means in the reverse direction to lower said portions of the curtain, and counterweight mechanism connected with the power means and adapted to be raised as the curtain is lowered and lowered as the curtain is raised.

4. In combination with a curtain, apparatus for festooning the curtain which includes a plurality of curtain-raising means each of which includes winding means, the respective winding means each being connected with the curtain by a separate ilexible lifting means, the different lifting means including different slack lengths, each winding means being rotatable in one direction to raise a portion of the curtain. and rotatable in the opposite direction to lower said portion of the curtain, unitary power means for simultaneously rotating all of the winding means to raise and lower the curtain and counterweight mechanism connected with the power means for rotation with the winding means.

5. In combination with a curtain, a plurality of winding means each connected by flexible means with the bottom of the curtain for raising and lowering the curtain, the lengths of at least two of the flexible means between the winding means and the curtain being different as the curtain is being raised the weight of the curtain as it is being raised and lowered respectively changing progressively as the operation proceeds, power means for rotating said winding means in unison in both forward and reverse directions, a cone-shaped spindle, mea-ns for rotating the same in both said directions from the power means, a spiral groove in the surface of the spindle, a counterweight, and other flexible means with one end fastened to the counterweight and the other end fastened near one end of the groove so that the counterweight is suspended from a larger diameter of the spindle as a heavier weight of the curtain is being raised and is suspended from a smaller diameter of the spindle as a relatively lighter weight of the curtain is being raised.

6. In combination with a curtain, a plurality of winding means each connected by flexible means with the bottom of the curtain for raising and lowering the curtain, the lengths of at least two of the flexible means between the winding means and the curtain being different as the curtain is being raised the weight of the curtain being lifted increasing progressively as the curtain is raised and decreasing progressively as the curtain is lowered, power means adapted for rotating said winding means in both forward and reverse directions, a cone-shaped spindle with means for rotating the same in both directions from the power means, a spiral groove in the surface of the spindle, a counterweight, and flexible means with one end fastened to the counterweight and the other endv fastened to the large end of the spindle, the flexible means being adapted to be wound into and unwound out of the spiral means as the spindle is rotated.

7. In combination with a curtain, apparatus for festooning the curtain which includes a plurality of flexible members each fastened to a separate point near the. bottom of the curtain, a pluw rality of winding means mounted adjacent the top of the curtain on` a horizontal axis paraliel to the plane of the curtain and each winding means having one end of one of said flexible members fastened thereto, the lengths of two of the flexible members between the winding means the curtain being different as the curtain is beingI raised whereby the curtain is festooned as it is raised, means engaging the winding means with one another and a single power means for rotating the same whereby all of the winding means are simultaneously rotated so that the flexible members are simultaneously reeled onto their respective winding means to thereby raise the respective portion of the curtain to which each flexible member is attached, at least one of said flexible members having a greater slack length than at least one other flexible member.

8. In combination with a curtain, apparatus for festooning the curtain which includes a plurality of flexible members each fastened to a separate point near the bottom of the curtain, a plu-l rality of winding means mounted adjacent the top of the curtain and each having one end of one of said flexible members connected thereto, at least one of the flexible members having. greatu er slack lengthl than at least one of the others, at least some of said winding means including means for varying the slack length of the flexible members from time to time, a single motor, and drive means connecting the motor with each of the winding means to reel the flexible members thereon to thereby festoon the curtain.

9. In combination with a curtain, for festooning the curtain which includes a plurality of flexible members each fastened to the bottom portion ofthe curtain at a different point and extending upwardly therefrom, plurali of assemblies each composed of windingv mounted on a horizontal shaft, the being exibly joined end to end, one of said flexible members being joined to each of the winding means, a single power means, and drive means connecting the power means with the shafts to reel the iiexible members onto their respective winding means.

10. In combination with a curtain, apparatus for raising the curtain which includes winding neans, and a plurality of flexible members each fastened to the curtain a substantial distance below the top thereof and extending to the winding means, the winding means being operable to simultaneously reel the flexible members thereon 13 to thereby raise the curtain, at least one of the Iiexible members being slack while another is taut at some instant during the raising of the curtain whereby it is festooned.

11. Apparatus for festooning a curtain which comprises winding means supported on a horizontal axis; and power means for rotating the winding means; the winding means including a first element rotatably connected to the power means by a flexible connection, and a second element rotatable relative to the rst element and concentric therewith and means for releasably connecting the elements at a plurality of diierent relative angular positions to prevent relative rota- Y tion of the elements; a ilexible member having one end connected to the second element of the winding means and its other end connected to the curtain adjacent its lower edge, the flexible member being adapted to be wound onto the winding means as the power means is operated to thereby raise the edge of the curtain; said means for releasably connecting the elements of the Winding means being adjustable manually to change the length of the exible member to be wound where- /by the height to which the curtain is raised by the ilexible member may be changed from time to time; and, engaged with the winding means to rotate simultaneously therewith a cone-shaped spindle; means rotatingly supporting the spindler on a horizontal axis; a groove extending spirally from the vertex of the spindle to its base; a iiexible cable attached to the spindle and wrapped thereon in the groove; and a vertically movable weight supported from the spindle close to the vertex thereof at the free end of the cable, the cable being adapted to be unwrapped from the groove to lower the weight and to move the weight toward a position where it is suspended from a surface `portion of the spindle close to the base as the flexible member is reeled onto the winding means to raise the curtain; a bar supported horizontally and parallel to the surface of the spindle nearest it; a wheel rotatable on the bar and engaged with the groove, the Wheel traveling axially of the bar as the spindle is rotated, and limit-switch means actuated by said travel of the Wheel axially of the bar, said limit switch means controlling the action of the power means and disconnecting the power means when the wheel has moved to a predetermined point on the bar thereby stopping the spindle when a predetermined length of the cable is unwound therefrom whereby the weight is lowered to the same position regardless of the height to which the curtain is raised.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,008,516 Autenrieth et al. Nov. 14, 1911 1,340,066 Lemle May 11, 1920 1,874,077 Anderson Aug. 30, 1932 1,900,677 Weidhaas et al Mar. 7, 1933 1,912,483 Hummel et al June 6, 1933 2,002,268 Lassen et al. May 21, 1935 2,413,471 Sorrentino Dec. 31, 1946 2,421,788 Henry June 10, 1947 

